{"id":109507,"date":"2025-05-17T16:58:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T16:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/109507\/"},"modified":"2025-05-17T16:58:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T16:58:08","slug":"midlife-cortisol-levels-linked-to-alzheimers-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/109507\/","title":{"rendered":"Midlife Cortisol Levels Linked to Alzheimer\u2019s Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>A new study finds that elevated cortisol levels in midlife are linked to increased brain amyloid deposition\u2014a key marker of Alzheimer\u2019s disease\u2014specifically in post-menopausal women. Researchers tracked 305 cognitively healthy individuals over 15 years and discovered that high cortisol predicted amyloid buildup later in life, but only among women who had gone through menopause.<\/p>\n<p>The findings suggest that hormonal changes may amplify cortisol\u2019s harmful effects on brain health. No similar relationship was found in men or with tau protein, another Alzheimer\u2019s marker.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sex-Specific Risk:<\/strong> High midlife cortisol predicted Alzheimer\u2019s risk only in post-menopausal women.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amyloid Link:<\/strong> Cortisol levels were associated with increased amyloid buildup, not tau.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prevention Potential:<\/strong> Findings suggest early stress reduction and hormone-based strategies could lower Alzheimer\u2019s risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>UT San Antonio<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can stress lead to Alzheimer\u2019s disease? It can in women who are post-menopausal, a study led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antoino (UT Health San Antonio) shows.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Analyzing data from 305 cognitively unimpaired participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-term and ongoing community-based cohort study of residents in Framingham, Massachusetts, the scientists discovered that high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in midlife are linked to increased amyloid deposition in post-menopausal persons later.<\/p>\n<p>Amyloids are proteins that have folded incorrectly, preventing biologic function, forming deposits in tissues and organs, and implicated in Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>  <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cortisol-Alzheimers-aging-neuroscience.jpg\" alt=\"This shows a woman and a brain.\"  \/> No significant associations were observed in males or with tau burden, referring to the tau protein that contributes to neuronal dysfunction and death. Credit: Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p>By comparing midlife cortisol levels at the beginning of a 15-year period with disease indicators at the end, the researchers were able to determine that those levels could serve as an Alzheimer\u2019s disease biomarker, with particular attention to gender differences and menopausal status.<\/p>\n<p>No significant associations were observed in males or with tau burden, referring to the tau protein that contributes to neuronal dysfunction and death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe results highlight the importance of identifying early risk factors when biomarkers are detectable but cognitive impairment is absent,\u201d said Arash Salardini, MD, associate professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology with the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer\u2019s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio.<\/p>\n<p>Salardini is first author of the study titled, \u201cElevated serum cortisol associated with early-detected increase of brain amyloid deposition in Alzheimer\u2019s disease imaging biomarkers among menopausal women: The Framingham Heart Study,\u201d published April 24 in\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s &amp; Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association.<\/p>\n<p>Other authors also are with UT Health San Antonio, as well as the University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio; Framingham Heart Study of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health; Boston University; Gonzaba Medical Group, San Antonio; University of Galway, Ireland; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Massachusetts General Hospital\/Harvard Medical School; New York University Grossman School of Medicine; Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital; Yale University; and the University of California at Davis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur work shows that considering sex and hormonal status in understanding Alzheimer\u2019s disease pathogenesis is important, and suggests that stress reduction and hormonal interventions may hold promise for Alzheimer\u2019s prevention, especially in at-risk women,\u201d said Sudha Seshadri, founding director of the Biggs Institute and senior author of the study.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Targeting risk factors early<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study notes that \u201csporadic\u201d Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the leading cause of cognitive decline in older adults. That features a prolonged asymptomatic phase of amyloid beta accumulation, the main component of amyloid plaques, eventually triggering progressive cognitive decline.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing that these biological changes are already well established by the time symptoms emerge, effective early interventions must target Alzheimer\u2019s disease risk factors during the preclinical stages.<\/p>\n<p>However, despite significant advancements in understanding how the disease affects the body\u2019s normal biological processes, more than half of the overall risk has remained unexplained, underscoring the critical need to identify additional risk factors that can be targeted during the preclinical stage.<\/p>\n<p>One promising line of investigation centers on cortisol, a steroid hormone essential for cellular homeostasis, or balance, and the stress response.<\/p>\n<p>Genetic studies had identified mutations in glucocorticoid, or steroid hormones that have anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, signaling pathways that increase susceptibility to Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>Also, several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies had reported that higher blood cortisol levels are linked to an increased likelihood of developing the disease.<\/p>\n<p>To address gaps and inconsistencies across those studies, the researchers led by UT Health San Antonio conducted a longitudinal analysis using data from the third-generation cohort of the Framingham Heart Study, which dates to 1948 and now is directed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n<p>They assessed the relationship between serum cortisol levels in the 305 cognitively unimpaired, middle-aged individuals \u2013 48.5% female, with a mean age of 39.6 years \u2013and amyloid\/tau burdens approximately 15 years later using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. And they performed multivariable regression analyses adjusted for confounders.<\/p>\n<p>All this allowed them to investigate cortisol\u2019s impact at an earlier stage of Alzheimer\u2019s disease pathogenesis, where interventions might be most effective.<\/p>\n<p>Given the neuroprotective effects of estrogen and testosterone, which mitigate cortisol\u2019s deleterious impact on neural tissues, they also explored sex-specific differences, focusing particularly on post-menopausal risk.<\/p>\n<p>They hypothesized that cortisol\u2019s impact on Alzheimer\u2019s pathology would be more pronounced in women, especially after menopause, consistent with some previous findings.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, they found that post-menopausal women with high midlife cortisol are at increased risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and that post-menopausal hormone changes may amplify cortisol\u2019s effects on amyloid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLongitudinal follow-up of our cohort will be crucial to determine whether these early amyloid changes translate into clinical symptoms and to clarify the causal role of cortisol in Alzheimer\u2019s disease development,\u201d Salardini said.<\/p>\n<p>About this Alzheimer\u2019s disease research news<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#f599909086c7c7b580819d86968694db909180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steven Lee<\/a><br \/><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/uthscsa.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UT San Antonio<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact: <\/strong>Steven Lee \u2013 UT San Antonio<br \/><strong>Image: <\/strong>The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Original Research: <\/strong>Open access.<br \/>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/alz.70179\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Elevated serum cortisol associated with early-detected increase of brain amyloid deposition in Alzheimer\u2019s disease imaging biomarkers among menopausal women: The Framingham Heart Study<\/a>\u201d by Arash Salardini et al. Alzheimer\u2019s &amp; Dementia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Elevated serum cortisol associated with early-detected increase of brain amyloid deposition in Alzheimer\u2019s disease imaging biomarkers among menopausal women: The Framingham Heart Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>INTRODUCTION<\/p>\n<p>This study investigates whether midlife cortisol levels predict Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) biomarker burden 15 years later, with particular attention to sex differences and menopausal status.<\/p>\n<p>METHODS<\/p>\n<p>We analyzed data from 305 cognitively unimpaired Framingham Heart Study participants (48.5% female; mean age: 39.6\u00a0\u00b1\u00a08.1 years). Serum cortisol was categorized into tertiles, with amyloid ([11C]PiB) and tau ([18F]Flortaucipir) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging conducted 15 years later. We performed multivariable regression analyses adjusted for confounders including, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) status.<\/p>\n<p>RESULTS<\/p>\n<p>Elevated midlife cortisol correlated with increased amyloid deposition, specifically in post-menopausal women, predominantly in posterior cingulate, precuneus, and frontal-lateral regions (p\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>DISCUSSION<\/p>\n<p>These findings reveal post-menopausal women with high midlife cortisol are at increased risk of AD. Results highlight the importance of identifying early risk factors when biomarkers are detectable but cognitive impairment is absent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summary: A new study finds that elevated cortisol levels in midlife are linked to increased brain amyloid deposition\u2014a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1152,231,215,40455,425,105,218,219,233,220,222,4920,16,15,48380],"class_list":{"0":"post-109507","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aging","9":"tag-alzheimers-disease","10":"tag-brain-research","11":"tag-cortisol","12":"tag-dementia","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-neurobiology","16":"tag-neurology","17":"tag-neuroscience","18":"tag-psychology","19":"tag-stress","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-ut-san-antonio"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114524239396186523","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}